Layers
by BBQkitten
Summary: "Inoue asked me on a date. I never really thought about Inoue that way so I didn't really know what to say to her. I mean—the girl practically confessed her love to me in the middle of class! I didn't know what to do." "Tomorrow at school you are going to tell Inoue-san that you are very much taken." Requested by visionaria48


**Disclaimer: Don't own anything. **

At first, he thought of the boy only as an angry kid who thought waving around a big sword killing monsters was fun. At first. Over time, however, Urahara was able to uncover more about the mystery that was Kurosaki Ichigo. His second discovery he made was the unrealistic expectations the boy forces upon himself. Though, Urahara had to admire the child's unrelenting, can-do attitude; even if he didn't know when to quit.

And as layers of Kurosaki's personality began to show through, Urahara came to realize that he was showing more of himself as well. Without even trying, the two shinigami had become friends; admittedly, the term 'friends' was held rather loosely. It didn't change the fact, however, that the two had begun talking to each other about this other than training or the upcoming war. So when the orange haired teen barged into the shop shouting for Urahara in a rather annoyed manner, the blonde could do nothing but laugh and usher him into the back for some tea and a chat.

The two sat across from each other, sipping their tea while Ichigo calmed down slightly. After a few minutes, Urahara spoke up, "So, would you like to tell me why you felt the need to storm into my store like a madman?"

Ichigo averted his eyes, suddenly finding the tea cup in his hands very interesting. "I need your…" He trailed off, mumbling the last part so inaudibly even Kisuke couldn't hear it.

"Come again, Kurosaki-san?"

"I need your advice," Ichigo's voice was still quiet but at least this time the blonde could make out what he was saying.

Kisuke pulled out his fan and hid his large smile behind it. Urahara was secretly happy about this turn of events, he couldn't believe that the pigheaded, orange haired teen would willingly come to him for advice when the kid tried so hard to act like he didn't care about the 'Old Man's' opinion. "Oh?"

Ichigo picked up the napkin beside him and threw it at the shinigami, "Quit smirking old man; this is serious." He folded his arms across his chest and looked away, a blush forming on his cheeks. "Inoue asked me on a date."

Urahara pulled down his hat to conceal his reaction. This was not what he had expected the kid to say. He had thought the kid had wanted some advice on how to get his dad to stop attacking him (which was impossible) or if he should learn kido or something else equally trivial. He wasn't expecting this. Why did the kid want love advice? From him no less? Did Ichigo really value his opinion that much? Urahara felt his heart swell with joy and he mentally did a happy dance until one thought broke through his prideful moment, _did Ichigo have feelings for her?_ Urahara froze. _Why do I care?_

He mentally shook his head, _no way, it's not like I have feelings for him._ "What did you tell her, Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders and rubbed at the back of his head, "I told her I'd give her my answer tomorrow."

"Do you have feelings for her?"

He shook his head, "No, but I never really thought about Inoue that way so I didn't really know what to say to her. I mean—the girl practically confessed her love to me in the middle of class! I didn't know what to do."

Urahara chuckled. Classic Ichigo, give him a sword and he can defeat any enemy, give him a love confession and he acts like it's advanced chemistry homework. The shop owner couldn't help but notice the strange thoughts that began to float through his head ever since the kid had told him his problem. Though, if he was being completely honest with himself, this wasn't the first time his thoughts took on a possessive tone when thinking about the boy. "Well, what do you think of her?" _Say you hate her._

Ichigo shrugged again, "I don't know. I mean, she's very pretty," _Don't say that._ "And very nice," _It's an act!_ "And I'm sure she'd make a wonderful girlfriend. But," _Hah!_ "I don't think I'm into girls."

Kisuke's eyes widened behind his hat, "So you're gay, Kurosaki-san?"

The teen shook his head, "I don't know, maybe? I guess I never really thought about it. I mean, I know I'm not interested in any girls I know but I guess I never thought about being with a guy."

"And now that you're thinking about it?"

Ichigo shrugged for what felt the millionth time that afternoon, "It's possible. I guess I'd need to test it before I could say for sure though." _Here's my chance! _"But I think, if it is the case, I already have feelings for someone."

Urahara felt his heart break at those words, finally accepting the fact that he had more than friendly feelings for the teen. "Oh?" He asked, keeping his voice full of its usual cheer. "Who is it?"

Ichigo shook his head, "It doesn't matter. It would never work anyways. He's older and is just a friend; I don't think he'd ever go for someone like me."

"Someone like you?" He asked, a slight bite in his voice.

"I'm just some obnoxious, hot-headed kid."

The blonde lowered his fan, placing it on the table as gently as he could and came to sit next to the boy. "You are much more than an obnoxious, hot-headed kid," he stated, placing a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "You're smart and brave almost to a fault. You never know when to quit and you never say you can't. You're always ready to help a friend in need—even if they don't want it." Urahara let out a soft chuckled at his own joke and after a moment Ichigo joined in as well. "You're a great person, Ichigo-san, and anyone who ever thinks different isn't worth your time."

The teen looked up at the older man in shock while Urahara's own eyes widened slightly also. He hadn't meant to say so much. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, both wrapped up in their own thoughts until Ichigo spoke up again, "Thanks, Urahara-san." Then, without warning, Ichigo bent up and gently pressed his lips against the frozen shop owner's.

Ichigo blushed and pulled away and went to leave when Kisuke quickly moved to block his path. "You didn't think I'd let you leave after that, did you?"

"I-I'm sorry, Urahara-san, I don't know what came over me."

Kisuke chuckled, "Well I hope it happens again." At Ichigo's confused look he continued. "I rather liked it." With that, the blonde bent down and captured Ichigo's lips in another kiss. The boy gasped and wrapped his arms around the older man's shoulders, pulling him closer.

It could've been minutes or hours before they broke apart, gasping for breath. Ichigo looked up at Kisuke, a slightly worried look spread across his face, "So what happens now?"

Urahara smirked, "What happens now is that tomorrow at school you are going to tell Inoue-san that you are very much taken."

Ichigo smiled and leaned up to meet Urahara's face. "I think I can do that," he whispered before pressing his lips once more the blonde's.

**AN: This was hard. I think I'm terrible at writing Urahara's character, mainly because I'm not that huge of a fan. BUT! I had an absolutely amazing review from **visionaria48 **that still makes me smile whenever I read it… so I had to give it a shot. **** Well, please tell me what you thought—good or bad, I want to hear it!**

**If you have a request paring you would like to make please feel free to drop it in a review or PM and I'll try to make it happen.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! :)**


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